Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => TOP BAR HIVES - WARRE HIVES - LONG HIVES => Topic started by: gardeningfireman on June 02, 2011, 12:58:55 am

Title: bees building double and cross combs
Post by: gardeningfireman on June 02, 2011, 12:58:55 am

I put a swarm into a TBH about a week ago. They have built comb on 5 bars. Unfortunately, they are building double combs and crossing over to the next bar! The queen is laying good and I don't want to rip out all their work, but I can't remove the bars one at a time to examine them without ripping the new combs. What to do?

Title: Re: bees building double and cross combs
Post by: Michael Bush on June 02, 2011, 03:05:18 am

I bet your bars are somewhere between 1 3/8" and 1 1/2".  That's why I went to 1 1/4".  What kind of comb guide do you have?  It's worth having some frames around to tie errant combs into.

Title: Re: bees building double and cross combs
Post by: gardeningfireman on June 02, 2011, 07:36:31 am

The bars are 1 3/8 inch and I use popsicle sticks rubbed with wax for starter strips.